Airtel, the top social media brand in Kenya

Airtel has been recognized as the top Social Media Brand in Kenya by the Africa Brand Index, a listing of the most successful brands in Africa on social media, according to key metrics such as community growth, content engagement, sentiment and dozens of others.    

The Africa Brand Index is a listing of the top brands on social media, measured by an aggregate score of dozens of social signals. Airtel Kenya has been listed as the top brand on social media in the country based on its growth and response rate on the rankings provided by the index as shown in the link: http://africabrandindex.com. The company has also been recognized as the second top Telecommunications Brand in Africa on Social Media, coming in ahead of MTN South Africa. Vodacom South Africa is the top telecommunications brand in the continent.       

With tens of thousands of @Twitter followers and hundreds of thousands of Facebook fans in the country, Airtel Kenya has not only been singled out as the top Kenyan brand on social media but was also recently recognized as a global best practice case study on social care. The company has made significant strides in being socially devoted and receptive to its customers, receiving and responding to questions and communicating within the shortest time possible.

In July, Airtel Kenya was recognized as a global best practice case study by Socialbakers, a global social media analytics firm for outstanding performance in serving customers online. This award recognized the company’s outstanding use of online social media platforms in engagement and resolution of customer issues.

Airtel was singled out as being socially devoted and receptive to its customers, receiving and responding to questions and communicating within the shortest time possible. A brand qualifies to be Socially Devoted if it responds to at least 65 percent of audience questions on Facebook and/or Twitter.

Social network signals are weighted approximately according to their overall usage on the continent - Facebook signals therefore would contribute highest in countries where Facebook usage is higher than other social networks.

Social media has been a key channel for Airtel Kenya to interact with its customers and it remains at the heart of its communication strategies. As evidenced of the power of social media, the company actively engages with its customers via social media platforms which include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Google Plus. 

Social media networks especially @Facebook and @Twitter have become popular gateways for customer seeking help or updates in needy situation and as a result of this, brands that are committed to their customers and have the capabilities have tapped into them.

Quick review of Infinix Zero 2

Overview

A while back I was looking to change my smartphone for various reasons. First, I needed a phone with great pixilation and huge amount of storage space especially on the internal memory. I looked around and fortunate enough through social media, I discovered the new talk in town – The Infinix Zero 2 smartphone.

Now, I had never tried out any infinix gadget leave alone the other devices but due to its specifications and its sleek design I decided to try it out.  So far, it’s been an amazing journey I must say. Below are some key features I like about the phone among many others. 

Camera

Now, there is nothing more satisfying about a smartphone that takes great shots especially when with friends or even during an excursion when you want to capture the ‘Kodak’ moments. With a 13 mega pixel rear camera with LED flash, video and autofocus, geo-tagging and panorama and 5 mega pixel front camera you are sure that it does not disappoint.

Power saver app

Here’s the most interesting feature I liked compared to my previous phone which would not even alert you when charge was low. With the Power saver app, at your consent (10% battery charge) it can actually switch off some of the applications so that you still use the phone with limited access to luxury apps like social media tools et al.  This actually comes in handy especially when you are travelling and perhaps you’ve forgotten your power bank.  

Memory and RAM

Something else I like about the phone is the large storage space – 16/32 GB internal memory and an expandable memory  SD card slot that supports memory cards up to 64GB/128GB and has a 2GB ram hence it does not hang. This is actually what I needed so that I do not have to worry about WhatsApp photos and videos that cannot download because my phone storage is low as was the previous case.

CfC Stanbic Bank opens 24-hour digital branch at Garden City Mall

CfC Stanbic Bank has today unveiled its first fully digital branch in Nairobi at the Garden City Mall. The branch which will operate 24 hours is expected to enhance customer experience and convenience on the backdrop of growing popularity and adoption of Digital Banking.

Speaking at the opening of the Branch, CfC Stanbic Bank, Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Philip Odera said that the bank’s focus is hinged on transforming how it engages with both new and existing customers and enhancing customer experience.



“This new technology is set to replace the manual processes thus enabling our staff to serve more customers in less time. Through this paperless transaction capability, we will be facilitating KRA (tax) payments, council collections, online share trading, Automated Cash Deposit machines and internet banking transaction ability,” said Mr. Odera.

The bank is also planning to open three additional fully digital branches in the following locations; The Hub-Karen and Two Rivers both in Nairobi County and Changamwe in Mombasa County by the end of this year.

The new digital banking concept seeks to eliminate a big chunk of the manual operations through deployment of services to the mobile and web platforms. Among the services that will be offered digitally include; the origination of new accounts and instructions for customers, mobile and online registration and a cashless transaction capability.

In addition, the bank continues to invest in channel capabilities through various digital enhancements after successfully upgrading its core banking system in April and launching its mobile banking app last month.

The opening of the Garden City Mall branch brings the total number of CfC Stanbic Bank’s branches to 24 across the country.

 

Real People Kshs 1.63 bn bond starts trading at Nairobi bourse

Real People’s Kshs. 1.63 billion bond has today started trading at the Nairobi bourse with the proceeds expected to further boost the company’s lending capacity. 

The medium term note that was launched in early August 2015 targeting retail, high net worth individuals and institutional investors saw investors take up Kshs 1,363,900,000 in 5 year Fixed Rate Notes and Kshs 270,300,000 in 3 year Fixed Rate Notes .

The first tranche under the Kshs 5 billion programme was offered in 3 year and 5 year Fixed Rate Note as per the Information Memorandum approved by the Capital Markets Authority (CMA).

“This is a significant milestone as a financial institution. We are happy to be the first credit only financial institution to have successfully gone through the entire bond process and have the Notes listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange,” noted Daniel Ohonde, Chief Executive Officer, Real People East Africa.

He added: “At this stage, we continue to grow and play a big role in the financial sector. We wish to thank CMA, Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) and our transactional advisors – NIC Capital for their support throughout the process.”

Speaking at the Ceremony, NSE Chief Executive Mr. Geoffrey Odundo congratulated Real People saying that “The high uptake of the Real People Bond from local investors is testament of Kenyans’ confidence in the Real People growth strategy and a clear indication of Kenyan companies great confidence in the fund raising opportunities that our Capital Markets have to offer. We at the Exchange applaud Real People Kenya Limited on the successful listing of their Bond.”

Mr. Odundo further elaborated that listing on the bourse enables an institution to improve their liquidity, unlock their value, enhance their company profile, raise their governance standards while maximizing value for their shareholders. He urged corporates to look no further than the Exchange, as they seek to raise capital to fund their various initiatives.

The bond process was led by NIC Capital as the transaction advisors, PKF, the reporting accountants, Coulson Harney, as the legal advisors, NIC Bank as the registrar and the receiving bank.